A police constable in Bihar's Siwan district has been suspended after a video of him firing an AK-47 rifle during a student protest went viral, and the Bihar Police immediately took action.
The incident took place during the Bihar Bandh on July 25 when students and organizations in the state protested across the state. In some parts of the state, there were clashes between protesters and police as the state was rocked by unrest and anger over issues that had been at the root of the statewide shutdown. Photographs from Siwan showing a policeman firing an AK-47 circulated so fast that social media was inundated by them.
🚨Policeman who fired AK-47 during student's protest in Bihar's Siwan has been suspended pic.twitter.com/EufVYO6s8j
— The Tatva (@thetatvaindia) July 27, 2026
The Bihar Police Headquarters ordered the immediate suspension of the constable. They also started a departmental inquiry to determine whether the assault rifle was in accordance with police policy and when the weapon was fired. The police have said further disciplinary action will be taken.
According to police officials, law and order is the primary responsibility of the force, but any deviation from normal operations will be dealt with firmly. According to reports, the suspended officer was placed in the District Intelligence Unit in Siwan. Security personnel were instructed not to shoot back during the demonstrations, officials said.
Demonstrations in Bihar saw thousands of students take to the streets and protests in several districts. Many protests were peaceful in many places, but clashes erupted in some areas where stone-pelting, detentions, and police action took place. In Siwan, the purported firing by the constable was one of the most controversial incidents of the day, and it eclipsed other events that happened during the bandh.
There have been differing accounts of the effects of the firing. Police officials said no one was injured by the constable’s gunfire and that a probe into the use of the firearm is ongoing to verify whether the firing was within operational guidelines. But other media from the larger protests reported injuries to the demonstrators in Bihar: a teenager who was injured during the unrest and later received treatment.
The incident also had a strong political response. Opposition leaders criticized the police response and claimed that they used excessive force against students. Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Opposition, criticized the reported use of an AK-47 during the protests, while Tejashwi Yadav called for the state government to take action against those who were responsible. Other opposition parties have also questioned the handling of the demonstrations and called for a transparent investigation.
So Bihar’s dispute has now spread to the state’s own judiciary and a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Supreme Court to investigate the incident. The petition may also lead to questions about police firearms use in public protests and adherence to crowd-control measures.
As the department’s investigation continues, the suspension is the first major punishment in the case so far. What should be the outcome of the investigation will be the cause for additional administrative or legal action.
